Grant worth millions for innovative gas research (GrASp)

On 23 September 2008, SNN (the Northern Netherlands Assembly) issued a positive advice on a significant contribution to the Gas Research and Sustainability Program ( EDGaR ). GrASp is a national consortium headed by the Energy Delta Research Centre of the University of Groningen. It combines all the knowledge and expertise in the Netherlands in the field of gas thus enabling joint efforts in the field of sustainable energy in the future. GrASp aims to become an international centre of excellence in the field of gas and sustainability.

The amount involved is EUR 10 million from the European EFRO fund. In addition, the Province of Groningen has guaranteed EUR 2 million and the State is being asked to contribute a further EUR 10 million.

Largest research programme

GrASp is a cooperation between NV Nederlandse Gasunie, Kiwa Gastec, the energy companies Essent, Nuon and Eneco, the University of Groningen, the Hanze University Groningen, Delft University of Technology and the national Energy Research Centre ECN in Petten. These partners have designed an innovative programme in which they themselves are investing EUR 22 million. Including the EUR 22 million they hope to receive in additional funding, this will be the largest gas research programme in Europe concentrating on sustainability.

From gas to sustainability

The interest in sustainable energy (solar power, wind power, hydrogen, biomass) has thus far rarely been combined with the gas knowledge available in the Netherlands. GrASp will be linking the worlds of gas and sustainable energy in order to work on new, gas-based plans for a sustainable energy future. The three main themes are:

• From monogas to multigas. The emergence of new natural gas qualities, ‘green’ gases, hydrogen, synthetic gases, gas mixtures and powerful CO2 streams, means that the classic monogas world is vanishing fast. It is being replaced by a multigas world.
• Future-proof energy systems. The development and conservation of gas and electricity systems have always been conducted separately. GrASp will be working on a clever link between the two worlds of gas and electricity in order to enable a higher efficiency of the total energy system. This will also lead to better use of types of sustainable energy that generate electricity at unpredictable moments, such as sun and wind.
• Changing gas markets. Internationalization is the key to the third theme. This is necessary because increasing attention is being paid to dependence on other countries, the international operation of gas markets and supply security. In addition, GrASp wants to set the Dutch-developed innovation into an international context right from the start, also with an eye to new export opportunities.

Extra job opportunities

The sum of all the knowledge contained within GrASp in the fields of technology and policy and legislation will lead to new ideas and plans to make and keep our energy supply stable, sustainable and economically viable.
The aim of the GrASp programme is to start the actual research activities on 1 January 2009. It will generate extra job opportunities for the Netherlands, and particularly the northern Netherlands, provide an impulse for higher education and industrial R&D as well as strengthening international visibility by means of numerous meetings between academics and technicians from companies and knowledge institutes.

Information
- Bert Wiersema (Business director EDReC)
- Catrinus Jepma (Scientific director EDReC)